The first winter after we adopted Patch
was bitterly cold with lots of snow yet
he seemed to enjoy exploring the garden
and sitting in his hutch though only for
a short time. Perhaps he had never seen
snow before shut away in a shed for so
many years.

This is one of our favourite photos of
Patch showing how he looked at you when
you talked to him or paying him some
attention.

Patch enjoyed sitting in the Sun. First
in the morning in the garden than he
would come indoors when the sun moved to
the front of the house.

Patch loved to relax in the Garden where
he would just flop over on his side.

Patch our
Dutch rabbit sadly passed away on March 18th 2015 after a
long illness, he was about eight or nine years of age
and had lived with us for two and a half years. He
came to us from a rescue situation where he had been
confined in a tiny hutch alone in a dark shed shared
with nearly sixty other rabbits all kept in hutches
stacked one on top of the other rather like a battery
farm. Except this was no farm but rather the garden shed
of a person who although well meaning was an animal hoarder. A person who considered that despite the
appalling conditions such as green water in the bowls,
no exercise or room to move that these rabbits were
better off with her than in the situation that they came
from. Most were bought to her by people who thought that
she was looking after them or most likely didn't care
one way or the other as long as they got rid of their
unwanted rabbits. Some of the rabbits shared their tiny
hutches with a companion but Patch had lost his bonded
partner who had died and he was now left alone to spend
his days inside this cramped hutch. He could no doubt
smell and hear the other rabbits but there was no
contact, the only other living being he saw was this
woman who fed him and provided him with water though by
the look of the bowls the water was changed infrequently. He was not even given a
name, we called him Patch when we adopted him from the RSPCA.

We adopted
Patch as a companion for
Sooty after she lost her bonded mate
Joey but rabbits rather like us do not always
get along with other rabbits and despite all our best
intentions to bring these two together they never got on
and had to be kept separate. Sadly Sooty died some
six months after we adopted Patch.

It was not
long after this that the once healthy Patch went into
Gastro intestinal (GI) stasis, a potentially life
threatening condition that always needs immediate
veterinary attention and must never be ignored. For
the first year Patch went in and out of GI stasis but
not requiring medication in between times. However at
the beginning of spring 2014 things became slowly worse
and he never fully came out of GI stasis and he remained
on medication, for once it was withdrawn he
deteriorated. An X-ray revealed a small swelling in his
intestine which was considered benign though it was sore
whenever the GI stasis was bad. As the year
progressed his medication was increased including pain
killers. During Christmas of 2014 he developed sore
hocks and needed antibiotics and cream, a couple of
months ago he suffered with a significant ear
infection and had to have ear drops. About five
weeks ago his stomach bloated and needed draining and a
stay in hospital overnight. He was lucky to have
survived, many bunnies do not and quick action is
required. He seemed to improve little and in desperation
we decided to try Cisapride a difficult medication to
obtain, as it was banned for human use it was not easy
to get hold of for animal use.

Our vet
managed to obtain some and after taking it he seemed so
much better, like a young rabbit again. It was like a
miracle! Then unfortunately a few days prior to the 18th
March he went down hill, the tumour having grown bigger
he was now too ill and in a lot of stress and pain and
the kindest thing was to let him go.

Though he
lived without the companionship of another rabbit which
is the ideal, he seemed a happy and contented little
animal. He loved to be fussed and stroked and would lick
your hand or ankles to show affection. He was a good boy
and took all his medication, though he never liked being
picked up he soon settled in my husband's lap for a fuss
and a stroke after I had administered medication and
other therapy. He though didn't like his hocks
being bandaged and as the bandaged was very loose - a
tight bandage would stopped his circulation and resulted
in serious problems - he soon flicked it off. I recall
one day after bandaging his hock and putting on a little
sock how he rushed round to were I was sitting, looking
my way, he lifted his bandaged foot and deftly removed
his sock and bandage with his teeth throwing it in my
direction as if to say I am not having anymore of this.

Another
incident of note which showed him to be of need of
affection was the time he accidentally inhaled water
while drinking from his bowl. Poor Patch really was
scared and after coughing and forcing the water out of
his nostrils, in a state of panic and confusion he
rushed over to my husband for a cuddle and some
sympathy.

He was an
intelligent animal, mischievous and playful, though a house rabbit he liked to
sit in his hutch even in the winter for a while. He
loved foraging in the garden eating the birds' seeds
which he should not have done but which was not easy to
stop him from doing. In the summer he sat in the
sunshine in the garden but knew when the sun moved to
the front of the house, as at the correct time he moved
into the sitting room to continue enjoying bathing in
its warmth.

The vets who
looked after him during the two years he was ill
described him as a very brave rabbit and indeed he was.
He was a survivor, he had a strong will to live and just
when you thought he would not make it through the next
round of GI stasis he bounced back. Sadly though
the lump seemed to grow suddenly much bigger and he was
in great distress and it was time to let him go. A very
difficult decision. He is very much missed. He was a
little person, a rabbit person with all the intelligence
mischief and liveliness of a two year old child until he
became too ill to cope any longer.

We miss him so
much, the house seems empty without him.

Important
Note Gastro intestinal Stasis is a serious life
threatening condition and must be treated as a
veterinary emergency if your rabbit stops eating or
drinking longer than 12 hours, sometimes less.